Have you ever questioned why some clothing is so excessively priced? Naturally, it depends on the designer’s reputation and originality, but fabrics are mostly responsible for the solution. Fine textiles are difficult to produce, which makes some of them quite uncommon and causes you to purchase, or wish for, lavish clothing items that are expensive.
However, let’s be real here. Ordinarily, you get what you pay for. These textiles offer the best comfort and quality available. Not to mention that they are produced by some of the most well-known fabric manufacturers in the world, so you can anticipate some of the most expensive price tags as well.
There are other varieties of those fabrics that are produced from some of the rarest and best raw materials in the world, making them far more distinctive than the common fabrics we’re all used to. Merino wool, silk, fur, and linen may already be on your mind. Are you curious about the most expensive fabrics? Let’s look at it.
1. Vicuna Wool
The most costly wool in the world is called Vicuna Wool, sometimes known as the “fibre of God.” It originates from Vicuna sheep, which can only be sheared once every three years, in the Central Andes of Peru. This fabric is likewise produced using a time-consuming and expensive hand looming process. In the past, the Incan royalty had exclusive access to the substance, which could only be obtained from the animal’s back and neck.
Vicuna sheep are a rare breed of sheep that are primarily found in Peru, which is why this wool material is pricey. Vicuna’s fur is more expensive since it is both uncommon and processed through a challenging hand looms procedure. Vicuna wool is more expensive per yard than regular wool fabric, which costs $20. One wool jacket already sells for roughly £22,000.
2. Guanaco
A llama’s coat is used to make the extremely expensive and uncommon cloth known as guanaco, which is found in South America. Guanaco collection takes a long time because each adult llama only produces 2 to 3 pounds of guanaco.
South American camelids are the origin of the guanaco. This animal’s ability to only produce 2 to 3 pounds of fur from adults is one of its wonderful qualities. This fabric is the second-highest raw material in textiles due to its challenging manufacturing process. Water must be heated to a precise temperature during the dyeing process while producing textiles. The intricacy of modular steam boiler solutions allows them to quickly reach that temperature and maintain it for whenever long is required. The price of one woman’s long jacket can reach £20,000.
3. Shahtoosh
The shahtoosh is a textile made in Nepal and India from the down of the Tibetan antelope (chiru). Because it is so exquisite, the shahtoosh is known as the “king of fine wools” and is used to make opulent shawls that may cost up to $5,000. Only Kashmiri master weavers thought to be the only ones capable of handling it, weave the shawls.
The drawback is that despite ongoing trade, most nations still view the possession and selling of shahtoosh as illegal. Due to poachers, mining, and infrastructure improvements, the chiru mammal is a threatened species.
4. Baby Cashmere
Numerous famous personalities and influential figures have always loved cashmere. For the majority of people, it is essentially untouchable due to its grandeur and cost. The main difference today is that there aren’t many kings or queens left on the globe compared to centuries before when cashmere was linked with kings and queens or princes and princesses. Despite this, cashmere continues to hold its position as one of the world’s most opulent textiles.
However, cashmere comes in a variety of forms. Even more exclusive is the baby cashmere made from the underfur of Hircus newborn goats in northern China and Mongolia. Only 30–40 useful grammes of the maximum 80 grammes of fibre that each goat can generate following combing processes. And the goat only experiences that once in his lifetime. The ultimate product, a fabric that is 20% softer than conventional cashmere, is made of an incredibly fine fibre.
A luxurious wool and cashmere coating combination would be a more inexpensive choice that is still lovely. Perfect for appearing absolutely stylish while remaining warm and dry.
5. Cervelt
Because New Zealand is located in a remote area of the planet, the local people have had to adjust to its isolation and to the chilly winds that blow in from Antarctica. The delicate, thin coat of the nation’s red deer population has traditionally been their most valuable ally in this conflict. Cervalt, a fabric made from the red deer’s coat fibre, is as soft as cashmere but much rarer—only 20 grammes may be taken from a deer each year.
Cervelt, which is primarily used by Italian specialised tailors, is extremely uncommon to see in clothing worldwide. And to give you an idea of how uncommon and exclusive it is, be aware that Harry’s of London only produced 100 pairs of cervelt socks in 2014. The cost of each pair was $1,500. Think it’s quite much for a pair of socks?
6. Leopard Furs
Fur-based fabrics are said to be among the oldest types of textiles ever made. One of the finest, most expensive, and historically significant fabrics in the world, this substance has withstood the test of time over many generations. Even in the modern era, leopard fur remains one of the most well-known fur materials. Leopard furs are the most expensive fur material available, costing £6,000 for one metre.
7. Mulberry Silk
Mulberry silk is renowned for its incredible suppleness and is now the best silk available. The fabric is produced from the cocoons of Bombyx mori moth silkworms, who are fed exclusively on mulberry leaves. It has a uniform texture and colour and is hypoallergenic.
One of the most costly and sought-after fabrics in the world, Mulberry Silk is meticulously woven and needs special care. Its price tag is $100 per yard.
8. Burmese Lotus Flower Silk
The lotus flower silk, or your chi, is a very rare and delicate fabric from Myanmar that was only unintentionally discovered. According to the legend, a girl from a Buddhist pagoda selected a lotus flower to present to the temple’s monks more than a century ago. When the stem was chopped, she found a strand of fibre, and she wove it into a garment for the cherished monk.
9. Japanese Denim
While everyone is familiar with denim, its Japanese counterpart is rather different. Japanese denim, which was developed in the land of the Rising Sun, has a stellar reputation among denim enthusiasts, in part because it is more of an artistic expression than traditional fabric.
The organisation behind it all is the Japan Blue Group, which also provides improved denim to Louis Vuitton and Gucci. They also produce the G001-T Gold Label Momotaro jeans, which have a retail price of almost $2,000.
10. Linen
The invention of linen in ancient Egypt thousands of years ago has gained the globe one fabric at a time. Its delicate and distinctive texture is produced by weaving flax seed stalk fibres. You were correct to have given it some thought from the start. Although linen is one of the most expensive materials available, it is also one of the most popular. Despite this, flax is one of the oldest crops in the world and has a long history.
